Stavanger is the fourth biggest city in Norway. It is situated on the southwest coast.
My aim is to try to capture something from every day, from the area nearby too, and when I am not at home I will still try to put up a photo from my archive.
Welcome back for another look.

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

The result from yesterdays voting about whether people in Stavanger and the two neighbouring councils, Sola and Sandnes should be combined into one big council or not, ended as most people thought..... the Stavanger people voted YES, the other two NO.

Only every fourth person in Stavanger voted, not very impressive.
But it was a democratic process, and now everything is back to normal, working as good neighbours.

Monday, 30 May 2016

Here they are, the guys I met out on a little trip yesterday afternoon.
They were men from the same motorcycle club, visiting friends from the Stavanger area.
Next Saturday they will be as far north as Smøla, via Hardangervidda, Lærdal and lots of other interesting places.
Nice to meet you!
Hope you will have a great and safe week out on the roads!
They had BIG motorcycles. One was 350 kilo.

VERDILØSE MENN is the name of the club.
Directly translated that means "worthless men"!
That name made me SMILE.
HAVE FUN!

Saturday, 28 May 2016

QUEEN VICTORIA arrived in Stavanger yesterday..... well...the cruise ship..
Nearly 2000 passengers and more than 900 crew members looked like they were happy to see our city.

It felt a bit crowded from time to time in the narrow little streets in the centre of the city.

I spoke with a couple from Devon/England, who needed help to read the map and find Old Stavanger.
They had had a fantastic trip, seen the FJORDS, several days of sun, and "even got a bit of a nice tan" as the wife put it.

(I did not say a word about the rain, the wind and the temperatures we sometimes call summer....)

The day was to be enjoyed!

Late afternoon, Queen Victoria headed out the fjord again to go back to Southampton.

Finally, some will say. The church now has a second liturgy, so it should no longer be a problem to let two people of the same sex getting married in the church. Some priests have said a loud NO to this, and have decided to stop working as a priest because they think it is so wrong.

Some church goers have left the church in protest.

We have had female priests from 1961 and got our first female bishop back in 1993.

So, in some ways Norway has been ahead of other countries. Changes sometimes take time.

Saturday, 21 May 2016

It used to be a colourful busy market place, with HAND MADE items and also fruit, flowers and vegetables from local farmers for sale.

From time to time there have been some salespeople selling mass-produced items from far far away.
A few concerts, some demonstrations, and also openings of the annual food festival.

Over the years there have been competitions, school classes and even (architect) students from abroad who came up with good ideas. I met some from Istanbul one summer who told me about this.

A daughter of some friends won, together with others pupils, a trip to Barcelona.... after a competition with suggestions on what could be done. She is now a young woman, and their winning solutions are probably stuck in a drawer and long forgotten.

This is Stavanger on a cold rainy day......

The good news is that it will be warmer and a bit of sunshine next week.

Thursday, 19 May 2016

There are busy times at Mosvangen Camping, where THE NEW GAMLINGEN is being built.
A public outdoor swimming pool.
For half a century GAMLINGEN has been on the other side of the motorway, and it has been a very popular place for many people.

Monday, 16 May 2016

A couple of weeks later, it was mentioned in the newspaper with a link...... Take a look at the article and photos here dailymail.
Helen & Hard is a well known architect company, which have existed 20 years in Stavanger.

I met a big group of Dutch architects, perhaps a year ago, who praised the company and told me about the sightseeing tour they had been on, to see different buildings that the company had designed. Just by listening to all the positive comments, made me proud of being from this part of the world that they all had enjoyed so much.

Sunday, 15 May 2016

After reading other blogs and seeing their beautiful images of fields and parks filled with Tulips,
I have been looking around for similar areas here, and the best so far is this place, just outside the old hospital here in Stavanger.

Saturday, 14 May 2016

I drove on the road between the beach and the airport, and as so many times before the road was covered with sand.
One of the airport busses struggled ( I just hope the passengers and their luggage made it to the airport on time.)
I noticed the tow truck was there on my way back. (when I drove back.)

It is actually even worse when it is dark, then people who can't manage to walk on the pavement, walk out on the road.

Monday, 9 May 2016

For weeks we have had a strike on, by people working at hotels and restaurants.
Saturday even more people went on strike.
It is the time of year, and I can not remember a year without a conflict / strike in May.
It involves most parts of the country.

But the union is strong, and they have a fortune, so it can last for a very long time.
This time as the sign says. They want a salary they can live on....

So as if you are planning on staying in a hotel, you might struggle these days, or perhaps have to pay twice as much and stay where it is "business as usual".

Thursday, 5 May 2016

Teenagers, pupils from the school Bergeland (art, design and architecture.)
have made this fantastic artwork!
The Cathedral's old window is in Trondheim for restoration. I have to say that all the light and the nice colours made the church room feel much more pleasant and more open.
It might be there for the next 2-3 years... so do take a look if you are in town.

Wednesday, 4 May 2016

MIKA is a fantastic Borzoi dog! (Russian wolfhound)
EMILIA is a profesional caretaker for dogs (and cats.)
Plenty of walks.
She is out and about sometimes with more dogs at the same time.
They looked like happy friends!!
Nice meeting you both.

Tuesday, 3 May 2016

Yesterday the wind was strong and it was pouring down with rain nearly non stop.
This couple, from Sheffield, Yorkshire in England, seemed to managed reasonable well, and they were heading towards Starbucks....
She is my Lady he said, Diana is her name....
(I did not dear ask if his name was Charles:)
But this loving couple looked like they were meant to spend LIFE together!
Before heading back towards the huge big cruise ship, they were going to take a look inside the Cathedral.